Gustave Caillebotte
This peaceful view of the Seine, which draws me in whenever I see it, has really increased my appreciation for Gustave Caillebotte, the great Impressionist artist and patron. The colors in this painting are remarkably vivid, the texture of the brushwork adds shadows and movement, and the masterful depiction of rippling water begs me to pause and dream. I could easily slip into the river and make my way to the boat and then sail the 11 km west to the Maison Fournaise, where Caillebotte was himself prominently featured as a model in Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s Luncheon of the Boating Party.
Caillebotte produced this masterpiece eight years after his inaugural showing at the second Impressionist exhibition. He had purchased a house and land at Petit-Gennevilliers, on the Seine near Argenteuil, and was an avid artist, gardener, and designer of boats and racing yachts. I like to think that the artist brought together his passions in this one canvas.
The foreground is almost photorealistic in the handling of the grasses and plants along the riverbank. Moored in the middle ground is a small sailboat (possibly designed and built by the artist) mirrored in the moving river. The reflection is alive and I can imagine every ripple moving on out of the frame. The painting’s background is an amazing Impressionist landscape (including a factory) that is a gem on its own.
This painting is one of 29 Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces recently given to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri (USA), by Marion and Henry Bloch. The paintings are integrated into the museum’s collection—a transformative gift that ignites dialog and reverie, embodying the museum’s mission: Where the power of art engages the spirit of community.
- Brad Allen
Have a read of the article "Gustave Caillebotte’s Urban Intimacy" on DailyArtDaily.com.